Another One Unwound: How Dealers Are Quietly Winning
Jun 19, 2025
About a month ago, Dirk Gundlach of Rogers Motors, Lewiston Idaho (a 6 rooftop group), bought a vehicle from Manheim Seattle through a proxy bid.
CR grade was a 5.0. Looked clean. Until it wasn’t.
When the unit arrived at the dealership, his team found undisclosed body damage, subframe issues, and oil leaks. All things that should’ve been noted… or never passed through with that grade at all.
Dirk filed a timely arbitration claim.
And at first? It looked like the system worked.
The arb department called and approved the unwind.
But then… radio static.
Two days later, they reversed the decision. Claimed Dirk should’ve seen announcements… ones that weren’t visible on the listing. Ones that would’ve removed his proxy bid if they’d existed.
So, Dirk filed a complaint through Auto Auction Review.
We reached out to Manheim Seattle. Their response?
“As your firm is not a party to the transaction, this will be our only response. Any further outreach will not be acknowledged.”
They shut the door.
But here’s the thing about doors… they’re only locked until someone decides to open them.
A week later, Dirk got word.
The unwind was approved. Refund issued.
No apology.
No explanation.
No email to us.
Just… quietly fixed.
Maybe they hoped we wouldn’t notice.
But we always notice.
And you know what? That’s fine.
We’re not here to make enemies. We’re here to install windows in a system that’s kept dealers in the dark for too long.
This is what AAR does.
We don’t grandstand.
We don’t bluff.
We track. We escalate. We advocate.
And we win… quietly, consistently, relentlessly.
Another crack in the dam.
And if you’re an auction who actually welcomes transparency, we’re ready to talk.
If not?
Well, that tells everyone all they need to know.
Stay Lit.
Bob Manor
Co-Founder - Auto Auction Review
